Craving a light and refreshing chilled noodle dish on a hot summer day? Try my Cold Somen Noodles served with grated ginger, scallion, and a savory soy-based dipping sauce called tsuyu. Optionally, you can add various vegetables and proteins to this cooling dish to make it a more filling meal. {Vegan Adaptable}
What do you usually end up eating when the weather gets impossibly warm and you start losing your appetite? Growing up in Asia, summers were often brutally hot. To beat the heat, my favorite go-to dishes on these sweltering days are Japanese Cold Somen Noodles (そうめん) and Soba Noodles. As you slurp the slippery cold noodles dipped in delicious tsuyu, you’d feel your body starting to cool in the summer heat.
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What Are Somen Noodles?
Sōmen (素麺,そうめん) are white Japanese noodles made of wheat flour and they are very thin, about 1 mm in diameter. The dough is stretched with the help of vegetable oil to make the threadlike strips and then air-dried. You can read more about the somen-making process here.
Also, learn more about somen noodles on my pantry page.
Why You Should Try Somen Noodles
- Very versatile. Goes well with any broth, sauce, or toppings!
- Cook super fast! It takes only 1 to 1½ minutes.
- Easily accessible. A package of dried somen noodles can be purchased online and in most Asian grocery stores.
Where to Buy Somen Noodles
You can find dried somen noodle packages at Japanese and Asian grocery stores. My favorite brand is called Ibonoito (揖保乃糸). I grew up eating this brand, and it’s still the best when it comes to flavor and texture. I’m so happy that we can now purchase their somen in the US!
Jin, a friend from my middle school, sent me these packages (see below) of somen noodles from Shodo Island where he currently lives.
The pink somen noodles are made of Ume (梅), Japanese plum. The Tenobe Somen (手延そうめん) from Shodo Island has made the region famous as one of Japan’s top three producers of somen noodles.
How to Cook Cold Somen Noodles
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dried somen noodles – one of few types of Japanese noodles that are sold only in dried form.
- Mentsuyu (noodle soup base) – store-bought or homemade
- Chopped scallions – for garnish
- Grated ginger – for garnish
- Optional toppings – please read below.
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. You do not need to salt the water. It’s important to use plenty of water so the water stays boiling when you add the dried noodles.
- Cook the noodles for 1 to 1½ minutes, or according to the package instruction. I usually undercook slightly. Stir the noodles with chopsticks to prevent sticking.
- Once cooked, drain the noodles in a colander immediately. Using your hands, gently knead the noodles while rinsing them under cold running water. This helps to remove the excess oil from the noodles (the oil was used to make super thin noodles).
- Serve with tsuyu, the dipping sauce, with garnishes and optional toppings.
How to Prepare the Somen Dipping Sauce (Tsuyu)
Cold somen noodles are served with a dipping sauce called tsuyu (つゆ). It is the same Japanese dashi-based broth used in hot soup, but more concentrated in flavor. It’s super handy to make a big batch of easy homemade tsuyu as we use it often in the summertime!
You can also get a bottle of mentsuyu at a Japanese/Asian grocery store or Amazon. No shame, I always have one in the fridge!
Each mentsuyu brand has different instructions on how to use the concentrated or non-concentrated sauce. So follow the instructions on the back of the bottle and adjust as needed.
Since it’s written in Japanese, I explained a bit more on this Mentsuyu Pantry Page. If you’re unsure, you can always try diluting the concentrate with water and taste it.
The non-concentrated noodle soup base is called “Straight” (ストレート) and you do not need to dilute it with water.
Must-Have Garnishes
I love keeping things simple by adding some chopped scallions and grated ginger to the tsuyu dipping sauce to serve with the cold somen.
You can also add julienned shiso (perilla leaves) or myoga (Japanese ginger) if you can find them at Japanese grocery stores. The dipping sauce is light yet incredibly aromatic.
Optional Somen Toppings
To make the meal more filling, you can serve the somen noodles with various toppings. Here are some fun ideas:
Proteins
- Shredded thin omelette – see How to Make Kinshi Tamago
- Chicken chashu – see my Shio Ramen recipe
- Tofu – toasted aburaage (tofu pouch), medium firm tofu, or fried tofu
- Satsuma age (fried fish cake)
- Julienned ham
Veggies and Mushrooms
- Cherry tomatoes
- Julienned cucumber
- Blanched and sliced okra
- Simmered shiitake mushrooms
Garnishes
How to Serve Somen Noodles
After rinsing the noodles under cold running water, you can serve the noodles three ways.
- Serve the noodles in iced water. (picture on the left)
- Serve the rolled-up noodles on a plate or bamboo tray. (picture on the right)
- Serve the drained noodles with ice cubes in individual plates/bowls. You can also roll up the noodles. (picture on the bottom)
On a really hot day, option #1 is such a great choice. Noodles are super cold and nice. If you are serving this dish for the family, pick #1 or #3. If you are serving this meal for a larger crowd (think of it as a DIY somen party!), option #2 might be a good choice, so you can pick up a portion of noodles easily.
There is nothing more comforting and satisfying than enjoying the long strands of chilled slippery somen noodles with the sweet-savory sauce on its own. It is truly one of the simple dishes that highlight the uniqueness of somen noodles.
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Japanese Cold Somen Noodles
Video
Ingredients
- 4 bundles dried somen noodles
For the Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base) (for my homemade recipe, click here)
- ½-1 cup iced water (add only if using concentrated mentsuyu; for the brand I use, the mentsuyu-to-water dilution ratio is 1 to 3; therefore, I use ¾ cup water for ¼ cup mentsuyu concentrate for 2 servings)
For the Garnishes
- 1 green onion/scallion
- 1 knob ginger (½ inch, 1.3 cm for 2 servings)
- shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) (thinly sliced; optional)
- myoga ginger (thinly sliced; optional)
- daikon radish (grated; optional)
- toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
For the Simmered Shiitake Topping (Optional)
- 8-10 shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water (or dashi)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients (the garnishes and optional toppings are not shown).
To Make the Dipping Sauce
- I recommend making homemade mentsuyu for the best flavor, but you can also use store-bought mentsuyu. Every brand has slightly different instructions on how to dilute the concentrate. I explain a bit more on this page. The brand I use recommends a dilution ratio of one part mentsuyu to three parts water, or 1 to 3.
- Combine the mentsuyu concentrate and iced water in a measuring cup and mix well. If your mentsuyu is not concentrated (labeled "straight" on the bottle), then you don't need to dilute it. Tip: Include several ice cubes as part of your measured water to keep your dipping sauce chilled and refreshing.
To Prepare the Garnishes
- Cut the scallion into thin slices and grate the ginger (I use this grater) and put them separately in small bowls. I highly recommend shiso leaves and myoga for somen, if you can find them. Thinly slice and place them in separate small bowls. Grate a small amount of daikon (optional), gently squeeze some of the liquid out, then place in a small bowl. Pour some toasted sesame seeds (optional) into a small bowl. Gather all the garnishes on a tray, if desired, and set aside.
To Prepare the Toppings (Optional)
- To make the meal more filling, you can prepare toppings such as chicken chashu, simmered shiitake mushrooms (see next step), blanched okra, toasted aburaage, shredded thin omelette (see How to Make Kinshi Tamago), julienned cucumbers, thinly sliced satsuma age, and cherry tomatoes. Find more ideas in the blog post.
- To make the simmered shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems from the mushrooms. Cut the caps into thin slices. In a saucepan, combine the mushroom slices, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and water (or dashi). Simmer, uncovered, until there is almost no liquid left. Set aside to cool.
To Cook the Somen Noodles
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (You do not need to add salt to the water.) Meanwhile, remove all the wrappings from the bundles of somen, as all the noodles should go into the boiling water at the same time. Tip: Somen noodles cook very fast, so it's important to work quickly.
- When the water is boiling, add the somen all at once, spreading the noodles around the pot in a circular motion to separate each strand (I use a motion similar to opening a Japanese folding fan).
- Cook in the boiling water, stirring occasionally with chopsticks, for 1 to 1½ minutes or according to the package instructions. If it looks like the water may boil over, add a small amount of cold water to the pot. When the noodles are done, drain them in a colander. Tip: I slightly undercook my noodles to keep their springy texture.
- Next, rinse the somen under cold running water. Once the noodles are cool enough to handle, rinse them with your hands as if you are washing your clothes. Knead and massage the noodles to get rid of the excess oil. When you finish, transfer the somen to a large bowl of iced water with several ice cubes.
To Serve
- Cold Somen Noodles are often served family style in Japan, either chilled in iced water or on a tray. To serve in iced water, keep the chilled noodles in their large bowl of water with plenty of ice cubes. Decorate with green leaves such as the Japanese maple I used here. Serve the tsuyu dipping sauce in small individual bowls or cups.
- Alternatively, you can serve the somen on individual plates or a large serving platter. With chopsticks, neatly roll the chilled noodles into small bunches and arrange on your plates/platter (I used a Japanese bamboo serving basket). Place the bowl or tray of somen in the center of the table along with the garnishes and optional toppings you prepared earlier. To eat, sprinkle a few garnishes and toppings into your tsuyu, dip some somen in your sauce, and enjoy.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If the noodles stick to each other under refrigeration, run them under cold water to loosen them up before serving. Ideally, you should boil the noodles right before serving so they won't lose their perfectly springy texture.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on August 14, 2013. It has been updated with new images, content, and a revised recipe on September 5, 2022.
